Baby Food

So the baby food making venture is going well, except for a few unexpected setbacks. Number one, Mason jars that are only 8 oz. cost $7 for a mere set of 4 at Walmart. Not planning on buying those again! I got some freezer jars as well, but I'll probably just have to start filling larger canning jars. I was hoping to avoid that, as I don't know for sure how long a larger jar will last once it's been opened, but I guess we'll have to see.

Yesterday I peeled and chopped 4 large carrots and boiled them with 1/4 cup of water in the Crock Pot for about 5 hours. Once I removed them to the blender, the mix ended up needing another 1/4 cup of water, but after that it was able to get mostly pureed. Just boiled carrots and water. Here's the kicker though: 4 carrots filled ONE 8 oz. mason jar. That's it! So I bought a huge bag of carrots at the grocery store today and I'll be working on canning more all week. I started on a bag of frozen green beans once I got home. I threw the whole (2 pound) bag into the 4-quart Crock Pot with 1/2 cup of water and it's cooking now.

This is a long and slow process, but will be worth it once the baby starts eating real food in a few months. She's just on rice cereal and breast milk now, but soon enough she'll be on real foods. I know I'm definitely saving a ton of money by doing this myself.
Once you fill a jar (almost to the top), just drop it gently into a pot of boiling water (letting the water cover over the top of the lid) and leave it there for 5-6 minutes, then take it out and set it on a paper towel to dry. The lid will seal itself within minutes.